June 13 2017: The New York Times in a recent article, talks to Michael Suomi, principal and vice president for interior design at Stonehill & Taylor, an architectural firm in New York that works with Marriott, Hyatt and other hotel brands.
He suggests drastic ways in which hotels are redesigning to suit the tastes of millennials.... no minibar, no clothes closets, no hangards, evenno desks to work! Welcome to tomorrow's business hotel!Key points from the article.
Since the advent of the iPhone and the iPad, how business travelers interact with their spaces has changed significantly. Changes in technology have changed the expectations of what a traveler needs in a hotel
Hotel executives are building everything around millennials right now and they expect all millennials to want to work in hip, communal lobby spaces or in bed. There’s not even a functional work space, like a table and a comfortable rolling chair, with proper space to put your laptop. Closets, too, are being eliminated in favor of hanging racks...sometimes, there’s no place to hang your clothes at all. The lack reflects research showing that guests often do not bother to unpack anymore. Multifunction desks — often movable tables paired with desk-height swivel chairs that a guest might put to use as a dining table — have also become standard at many flagship Marriotts.
The changes are aimed at keeping pace with the changing needs of all business travelers.
But that does not mean a brand has been dreamed up to suit business travelers of every preference and predilection. ( Some guests) want to be left alone rather than herded into lounge like lobby space where he is expected to both work and mingle. "When I’m exhausted and thirsty, I don’t want to have to leave my room to go get water because there’s no minibar."
Link to the full article here